What is a noun phrase?

Definition
	A noun phrase is a phrase that has a noun as its head.

Discussion
	A noun phrase generally includes one or more modifying words, but allowance is usually made for single-word minimal noun phrases that are composed only of a noun or pronoun.

Kind
	Here is a kind of noun phrase:
	What is a nominalization?

Generic
	A noun phrase is a kind of
	What is a phrase?

Sources
	Crystal 1980 244
	Hartmann and Stork 1972 155
	Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech, and Svartvik 1985 61

Context for this page:

Concept module: noun phrase
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): N
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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